


Breath of Life

by LannaBanzai



Series: Neverland AU [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-02-24 04:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2568113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LannaBanzai/pseuds/LannaBanzai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SEQUEL TO TENERIFE SEA. While on their mission to rescue baby Leo, Emma and Killian have huge obstacles to overcome. Ones that aren't so easy to get over while you have your disapproving mother constantly breathing down your back. When things get dangerous, and returning Leo to the castle might not be as easy as they thought, will everything fall apart and end in sadness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

Emma couldn't contain her excitement as they neared the water. 

 

_The water._

 

She could feel the tension in her body slowly slipping away as the carriage neared the ocean. She shouldn't be relaxing, her brother was missing, presumably on Neverland...at least, that was according to Regina. She had poofed in out of nowhere in a cloud of purple smoke before she started spewing some nonsense about Neal and Peter and Leo. Apparently she traded Leo to Peter for a few Lost Boys to use as spies.

 

_Nobody mistrusts children after all._

 

"I still don't understand why you need  _me_ , Swan." A grumpy fairy asked, narrowing her eyes as the Jolly Roger came into view. 

 

"Because we need to be able to get back, Tink." She replied, not taking her eyes off the ship. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it. She ignored Tink's grumbling and scrambled out of the carriage as soon as they reached the ship. 

 

"A little bit excited to be on the sea again, love?" She nodded quickly.

 

"Why yes I am, Captain." She stared at the Jolly as her parents and Tink came up behind them. "It's good to see her." Killian nodded in agreement but her father frowned. 

 

"See who? The ship? It's just a ship." She and Killian glared at him, speaking in sync. 

 

"She's not  _just_  a  _ship_!" They cried angrily and David held up his hands in surrender.

 

"Alright, sorry." He glanced at Snow who had a stony expression on her face. 

 

"Alright, love. Are you ready?" Killian asked, holding his hand out to her. 

 

"Just get on the ship, Hook." Tink muttered and he grinned as Emma slipped her hand into his. 

 

"Let's go." 

 

**oOoOo**

 

"Captain, good to see ye again." He nodded curtly before stalking off to bark orders. "And ye as well, milady." She smiled at him. 

 

"Thank you. I gather you and the crew watched over my things while I was gone?" Jonah nodded. 

 

"'Twas the least I could do for milady." He bowed his head. "Who are they?" She smiled, having already told her parents that it would be unwise to speak their titles. 

 

"They are with me, and you remember the fairy." He nodded again and she smiled. "Right. Now off you go, Jonah. I don't expect the Captain to be happy if he sees you lolling about!" His eyes widened and he shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll make up an excuse for you." He smiled. 

 

"Thank you milady, you are kind as ever." She laughed as he ran off across the ship. 

 

"What was that all about?" Her mother asked and she tilted her head. 

 

"What do you mean?" She asked as Tink bade them farewell and skittered off below deck. 

 

"Swan, hang onto something." She nodded, holding onto one of the ropes nearby. Her parents following her lead.

 

 "The whole, "Captain won't be happy" thing you mentioned to that poor boy." She sighed. 

 

"He's a different person when he's the Captain. It's hard to explain, but you'll see." She paused for a second before muttering under her breath. "It's kinda hot." Her mothers eyes narrowed even more and the ship steadied itself so she let go of the rope. "Come on, I'll give you a tour.” 

 

**oOoOo**

 

She exited the Lieutenants cabin, stressed to the max. Her mother, despite having lived in a forest for several years, apparently did not appreciate the fact that she was going to have to live on a pirate ship for a few weeks.

 

"Everything alright there, love?" She rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the smile slowly spreading across her face. 

 

"Not entirely. My  _mother_ -" He nodded.

 

"Ah, no need to say more, Swan." She giggled, sliding her hands up his arms and linking them together behind his head. Her fingers tangling themselves in his hair as she pulled him down to her. 

 

"I need to feel." She muttered, inches away from his face and he chuckled, low and dark, before he pushed her against the wall and kissed her hard. Her lips parted in a gasp and he used that to his advantage, tongue sliding against hers. She clung to him, her knees wobbling and threatening to give out on her. Her mind was fuzzy, she couldn't think straight, her emotions were in control of her now. Her hands slid down from his hair as he pressed her even tighter against the wall, his knee sliding between her thighs. Whether it was her parents or someone from the crew, Emma didn't care. 

 

_If they interrupted her now, she would most likely put her sword to good use._

  
  


She whined when he caught her hands with his hook and hand, and he chuckled, breaking their kiss. 

 

"Not yet, love." She pouted and he smiled slightly before she pulled him back to her, catching his lips in a searing kiss. She’d missed him over the course of the day, missed being able to touch him. She spent the entire day listening to her mother and father talk about her duties as a princess. 

 

_She didn’t want to hear that anymore._

 

_She just wanted to feel._

 

_She wanted to feel like Emma._

 

She pulled away, slightly dazed and giggled at him. The way he was looking at her said she looked a mess. If she looked half as wrecked as he did...well, there wouldn't be any hiding it from her parents. Killian leaned in closely, a sly smile on his lips. 

 

"I'm going to have you one day, Emma. When I do, you are most definitely not going to want it to be in a corridor." She felt a shiver dance its way down her spine, both at his words and how his lips just barely grazed her ear before he pulled back to meet her gaze. 

 

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, raising an eyebrow. He just pressed his lips to hers in another searing kiss, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair before pulling away. 

 

"Trust me, darling. I want to have you without any chance of interruption. A woman as radiant as you, deserves to be loved thoroughly." She blushed, staring at him wordlessly. She saw no lie written in his eyes and that made her stomach flitter nervously. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a tiny kiss to her knuckles. 

 

_He wanted her._

 

_He actually wanted her._

 

Emma, who had been pushed aside by Neal, by her parents, by everyone on Neverland, and everyone she had known, was  _wanted_. 

 

_She was wanted by Killian Jones._

 

 _The first person who had ever shown an interest in her._  

 

The first person she let into the closed off, walled up, boxed in, heart of hers. And there he remained. His control of it growing bigger and stronger every single day that passed. 

 

**No.**

 

 **Every single minute that passed.**  

 

She grabbed him by the lapels of his coat, pulling him to her lips in one swift movement. 

 

This kiss was  _slower_ ,  _tranquil,_   _languid_  even. 

 

 _It felt as if time itself had almost paused for them._  

 

It gave them a moment of peace, a moment of silence, a moment to just be. Then what felt like all too soon they had to pull apart, his thumb tracing the dimple in her chin.

 

"Killian..." She began, her heart racing and her words got stuck in her throat when his eyes flicked to hers. She couldn't tear her eyes away. All she could read in his sea blue depths, was love. 

 

_Endless love._

 

He nudged her nose with his, stepped so she was pressed between the wall and him again. 

 

"I have a ship to captain, you bloody minx." She grinned, lifting her hands to trace the charms on his chains again. 

 

"Do you? I'm pretty sure Smee can handle it for a little while." She replied, sliding her hands up and linking them behind this head again. She could feel the cold metal of his hook on her waist, the lightest of tugs on her hair told her he was twirling it around his fingers. 

 

"That may be the case, love." She sensed there was more to the sentence but he pressed two tiny kisses to her lips before he continued. "But I am the captain, and no matter how tempting you very well may be, I have a duty to fulfill." She rolled her eyes. 

 

"I know, I know. I'm going to check on my parents and then I'll come find you." He smiled at her and pulled her in for one last kiss before he disappeared. She could feel a stupid smile plastered across her face, but did nothing to remove it. 

 

“Emma?” Her mothers voice came from beside her. “What happened?” She shrugged, pushing off the wall before beginning down the hallway.

 

 “Nothing,  _everything_.” She turned to face her mother, taking note of the frown on her face. “You and Dad should meet us up on deck in a few minutes, we have to discuss a plan.” With that she spun on her heel and exited the corridor. 

 

**oOoOo**

 

Emma could feel eyes watching her. She could feel them observing, but she remained with her eyes fixed on the sky. She had only been at her castle for a few days, no less than seven, but she had missed the view. She missed the bright twinkling splashes against the inky black sky, the sound of ocean waves in the background, and the moon. 

 

_The silvery light shining so brightly it lit up the sea for miles._

 

She pushed off of the mast and walked over to the railing, leaning on it and staring at the sky. Sometimes she felt very small, like the stars were as far away as they should be. Other times it was as if she could reach out and touch them. 

 

_Like she could wrap her fingers around them and pluck them from their indigo beds._

 

She heard heavy footsteps approaching and she spun around, kissing him before he could even announce his presence. It wasn’t a chaste kiss, that much was certain. 

 

"Not that I'm complaining, but to what do I owe the honour?" She shrugged as she lightly traced the scar on his cheek before spinning back around to face the railing. He stood beside her as she leaned on it, draping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her into his side. 

 

"I just need reminding that you're real some times." She glanced up at him and he bumped their noses together. 

 

"Oh I assure you, Emma. I am very much real." How he made than an innuendo, she would never know. 

 

"Killian?" She asked quietly, still very well aware of her parents watching her. She knew they were just trying to figure her out. They didn't want to ask, they wanted to find out who she is. Observe what's  _different_  about her. 

 

_She just hopes they can accept it._

 

 "Hm?" She smiled slightly. 

 

"Will you tell me a story?" He glanced down at her but her eyes were fixed on the stars. 

 

"Aye, which story would you like, milady." She thought for a second. 

 

"Tell me about your first trip to Neverland." She felt him stiffen momentarily, like he did every time she requested this one. 

 

"That is not a happy tale, love." She shrugged.

 

"I don't care, I like hearing it." He pressed a light kiss to her forehead and began to speak. She tried to listen attentively, but his calming voice and heavy eyelids won over and she felt herself falling. 

 

_Then suddenly she wasn't._

 

There were strong arms under her and a slight jolt to tell her she was being carried. She shifted slightly in his arms, closing her hand over his shirt and clinging to him like he was the only thing holding her on this earth. 

 

 _Well, at the moment he kind of was._  

 

"Hook!" She felt him still at the sound of her mothers voice. 

 

"Yes, your highness?" His voice was quiet but Emma knew he knew she was awake. 

 

"Where are you taking her?" Her mothers tone was clipped and Emma resisted the urge to curse at her. 

 

“To our cabin, is that a problem?" She could practically feel her mothers glare. 

 

"Shouldn't she have her own bed, pirate?" Emma could picture his raised eyebrow. 

 

"It was what the lady requested." He began, his tone wary. "She needs me to keep the nightmares away." He sounded slightly proud there and she would have laughed at him had she not been pretending to sleep. 

 

"She needs you to stay away from her. She needs her fiancé." He sighed and would have run a hand through his hair had he not been holding her. 

 

"With all due respect, your royal highness, the lady has requested that I be present while she sleeps. Until such a time comes that the lady decides to kick me out the door, than my place is at her side.” Her mother was quiet for a moment and she wondered what she was thinking. 

 

“Do you really think, that a one handed pirate will be good enough for her?" She opened her eyes slowly, tightening her grip on his shirt. 

 

“Killian?” She mumbled, purposely ignoring her mothers glare at the pair of them. “I’m tired, can we just go to bed please?” He nodded and began walking again. “Goodnight mother.” She called coldly over her shoulder, hearing her mothers growl of frustrating echo behind them. “You can put me down, Killian. I am perfectly capable of walking.” He grinned at her, kissing her forehead before setting her feet carefully on the ground.

 

_Emma could see the doubt in his eyes._

 

_Her mother had done that._

 

The last thing she heard before the door shut behind them, was her mothers raised voice echoing around the ship. 


	2. Land Ho!

_Emma half wondered if she could be charged for pushing her mother overboard._

 

_Is there even a charge for that?_

 

_Would she be **killed**  for it? _

 

_**Could**  she be killed for it? _

 

"Emma are you listening to me?" She blinked, the thoughts of pushing her mother overboard intensifying. 

 

"Yes, sorry." Her mother sighed. 

 

"As I was saying, you should really start thinking about-" Emma held up her hand. 

 

"I'm going to stop you right there, Snow. If you say anything about Neal or the wedding that is never going to happen, then I will jump off of this ship." Her mother rolled her eyes. 

 

"Emma stop being stubborn. If you just open your eyes, you can't keep ignoring the truth." Emma glared at her. 

 

"The truth? What truth would that be, mother?" She either didn't pick up on the anger in Emma's voice, or ignored it. Either way it pissed Emma off even more. 

 

"That Neal loves you, and wants to spend the rest of his life with you." She couldn't hold back the laugh at that. 

 

"Right, okay. Tell that to someone who will believe you." She turned on her heel and stomped out over to the other side of the deck. She plopped herself down beside Jonah, and sighed slightly. 

 

"What can I do for ye, milady?" She shrugged. 

 

"One of our guests?" She quickly moved on. "She's being quite a pain you see. I just need to be away from her right now." He nodded and went back to tying the ropes. Jonah was different from the rest of the crew. He was younger, scrawnier, and definitely more loyal to Emma than Killian. She had rescued him after all, saved his life in fact. 

 

"As ye wish." He was struggling with tying the ropes, some meaningless task given to him by Killian. Every position was filled on the ship, they had no need for an extra crew member. But Emma pleaded that they help him, so Killian allowed him to stay. He gave him silly tasks, meaningless ones, ones that kept him busy but weren't super important. Sometimes he had to create things for him to do, but Emma was grateful that he allowed Jonah to stay. She frowned slightly, watching him struggle with the knots. 

 

"Here, let me show you an easier way to try." He shook his head. 

 

"I cannot allow milady to do me job." She giggled slightly. 

 

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm just going to show you an easier way to do it. Then you can have it back." He hesitated before handing them over. She quickly showed him a better, tighter knot, and how to do it and within seconds he got it. "Good job, I'm sure the Captain will be pleased." She smiled at him and he nodded, his whole face lightning up. 

 

"Do ye think so?" She giggled again, ignoring her mothers glare that she had been feeling this entire time. 

 

"I do, Jonah. Now, go on and finish up here. If you need anything you know where to find me." He nodded again, setting to work and she resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. He was like a brother to her now, and after she rescued him from the ocean a few weeks after they returned from Neverland...well, she was kind of glad he was. She sighed lightly, and then headed off to Killian's cabin. 

 

oOoOo

 

Emma was suspicious. 

 

She had seen her mother talking to Killian, a strange expression on her face, and then Killian started acting weird. He was calling her milady, and Swan, instead of all the other names he called her. He was beginning to keep his distance too and she was frustrated. 

 

_Was he done with her?_

 

_Did he just not want her anymore?_

 

_Is that what this was?_

 

She could've sworn that last week he said he wanted her, but now...she didn't know if that was ever true. No, she can't afford to think like that. Not right now. They had just gotten to Neverland after all, were just about to go ashore, she couldn't deal with minor issues. To her it wasn't a minor issue, but she did her best to convince herself it was. She needed him, now more than ever, but something her mother did made him turn away from her. 

 

_Something her mother said made him distant._

 

She sighed, hopping off the ship and onto the sand. 

 

_** The sand.  ** _

 

_** The familiar sand.  ** _

 

She felt herself freeze up, felt herself beginning to tense as she glanced around at her surroundings. 

 

_The scenery that haunted her dreams._  

 

"Smee, we will be back in a few days time. Make sure to keep watch." Emma's eyes were locked on the trees. 

 

"Emma?" She thinks that was her mother. 

 

"Is everything alright?" That was definitely her father…right?

 

"Emma, love." She blinked but couldn't make any other movements. Killian stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the forest. "Are you alright, lo-Swan?" His eyes flickered to her mother briefly before they went back to hers. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pushing passed him and heading towards the forest. 

 

"I'm fine, Hook." She spat his moniker at him like a poison. "Let's just find my brother okay?" She turned around to address her parents, noticing the satisfied smirk on her mothers face. "You two have to listen to what we say alright? This island has many dangers, some that may not even seen all that dangerous, but are. If you do not wish to have some lethal actions occur, you will follow what we say. Understood?" She glanced at Killian. "We'll sleep in the cave tonight. Follow me." 

 

oOoOo

 

She curled her legs tighter to her chest, burying her face in her arms. 

 

"Emma?” 

 

_Oh confound it all!_

 

_Why can't anyone leave her alone?_

 

_Well, that's not **entirely**  true. _

 

_The one person she actually wanted to see, was avoiding her to no end._

 

"Emma why aren't you asleep?" She lifted her head and glared at her mother. 

 

"Because, mother dearest, we are on this blasted island again. The one that spawned my nightmares. And the one person who keeps my nightmares away long enough for me to sleep...well, whatever you said to him worked. He's keeping his distance." Her mother scoffed slightly. 

 

"Emma don't be ridiculous, you are a princess, he is a pirate. He was only there for the money. Now come on, get some rest." She shook her head, a tiny humourless laugh bubbling from her lips. 

 

"Snow, sit down next to me and tell me what you see out there." Her mother frowned but sat down beside her as she requested. 

 

"I see the water." She was confused but Emma pointed to the sky. 

 

"And up there, what do you see?" She sighed. 

 

"Really Emma, I don't see what the point of this is." Emma glared at her. 

 

"Just tell me what the hell you see." Her mother rolled her eyes. 

 

"Stars, the moon, that's it. Why?" She fixed her eyes on the water, staring but not really seeing. 

 

"Because this was my home for ten years." Her mother fell silent and so she continued. "For ten years I sat on this rock, I lived in that cave, I stared at those waters and dreamed of that sky." She felt her lips turn up at the corners. "I found the perfect place to fish, created my own knife, fended for myself. I lived off of things I found and created. It was the ideal lifestyle for this land. I was doing well. The only thing is,  _I was alone_." Her mother frowned slightly but didn't interrupt. 

 

_So Emma continued._

 

"I didn't have anyone to hold me when the nightmares got so bad I woke up screaming and couldn't breathe. I didn't have anyone to tell me everything was going to be alright. To kiss me on the forehead. To hug me. To tell me that it was just a dream. most nights they seemed far too real to be considered a dream." She paused again, her eyes welling with tears at the memories. 

 

"Emma," She shook her head, not allowing her mother to interrupt. 

 

"Then one day I met someone. Someone I hadn't seen on this little corner of the island. The corner that became my home. He was dark, scary, but he had a look in his eyes. The look of being lost. I had seen it in all the lost boys, I had seen it in my own reflection. It was a look you got when you had been forgotten, left behind, abandoned." The tears dripped down her cheeks but she didn't wipe them away. 

 

_Her mother needed to know_. 

 

"At first he and I did not get along. He disrupted my home. I had been alone for so long I forgot what it was like to be around others." Snow opened her mouth but closed it again. 

 

_She needed to know what she had done._

 

"But then I became accustomed to his presence. He became a constant light in the dark. We spoke. He told me of the stars, his journeys, things that had happened to him. I told him what I could with my limited memories. We were...almost friends. He protected me. Kept me safe. Got me off this blasted island. I was free for the first time in 10 years...well, almost." Snow interrupted then. 

 

"Almost? What do you mean almost?" She was interested, which made Emma glad. 

 

_Her story wasn't falling on deaf ears._

 

"The nightmares were still very present. They wouldn't go away. That is, until one night I fell asleep at his side. They stayed away for most of the night." She paused curling herself tighter. 

 

"There's more?" Emma nodded, wiping the still falling tears away before continuing. 

 

"We fell into a pattern. It was comfortable, something I got used to far too quickly. But my memories were back. I knew I was engaged. It went against everything my heart told me, but I needed to return home and clear it up before I made any decisions. But I didn't return home right away. I made a promise to myself, that when I did return to the castle, then I would speak to you and David about cancelling my engagement." She was still staring at the dark, sparkling waters. 

 

"You didn't return home right away?" She shook her head. 

 

"No, I knew you might not agree...or approve...and I didn't want him to have to go away on me. So I delayed my return as long as I could." She finally turned to look at her mother. "So, Snow, you may think you know what's best for me. You may think that marrying Neal is best, even after he got your son stranded on this godforsaken island. But the only person who will ever be my _light_ , my  _strength_ , my _hope_ , is Killian." She pointed to the ocean. 

 

_The sight she became accustomed to for many years._

 

"You see plain ocean water, I see waves, I see currents, colours, stories, lives and memories." She pointed to the sky. "You may see just stars and a moon..but there is so much more. There are stories of adventure written amongst the stars, memories of peaceful evenings, and clusters of dreams. I spent ten years of my life sitting on this rock, studying the ocean, studying the stars, watching the moon. Then Killian came along and he told me the stars adventures, he told me tales of the seas. Now he won't even stand near me." She curled herself up again, burying her face in her arms. 

 

_She had just been the closest ever, to admitting her feelings for Killian._

 

_Both to herself and to her mother._

 

_She had said them but in so many words._  

 

For right now, she wasn't even sure if he sill felt the same. 

 

"Emma, I don't know what to say." She waited, sensing there was more. "I had no idea you spent so long here, I didn't know any of that." Emma shrugged.

 

"Yeah well, it probably all means nothing now. You should rest up, Snow. We have a lot of journeying to do tomorrow." She went to object but Emma shook her head. "It  _wasn't_  a suggestion." After all that, after Emma basically telling her mother in so little terms, what she went through, she didn't even have the gall to apologize? 

 

"You should do your best to sleep, Emma." Snow stood, reaching over to put her hand on Emma's shoulder but Emma shied away from her. "Goodnight." She waited until she heard her mother enter the cave before she started to cry. 

 

oOoOo

 

They found Emma wide awake on the rock the next morning.

 

_She hadn't slept at all._

 

"Are you alright, Swan?” 

 

She ignored him. 

 

_Why should she talk to him if he couldn't even look at her when he spoke?_

  
  


She decided that she would only talk to him if it was business. Until she figured out exactly what she felt, and exactly how to get her mother to listen, she wouldn't let her emotions get in the way. 

 

"Emma?" Her mothers gaze fluttered between the two of them, a tiny frown dancing across her face. 

 

"Where should we start, Hook?" He straightened his shoulders, standing up a bit taller and masking his face into a perfectly emotionless expression. 

 

"Well, Swan, we should start with their last camp." She nodded curtly and he headed off into the forest. Her shoulders slumped as soon as he had his back turned, and she dropped her face to the ground. 

 

"As you wish." She mumbled quietly, too quietly for him to hear...or so she thought, before she followed him into the forest with her parents hot on her heels. 

 

_Her mothers frown intensifying as they went._


	3. Um...Oops?

Chapter 3: __  
  
  
  
Three days.

 

Three  _useless,_   _boring, annoying, brother-less_  days. 

 

 _Three days_  of speaking curtly and cryptically to Killian. 

 

Three days of  _arguing_  with him. 

 

Her mother definitely regretted whatever the hell she said to him, but also didn't seem to want to take it back. 

 

_Emma wasn't sure what to think of that._

 

She had a  _permanent_  upset expression, she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't eating, her parents were concerned about her. She insisted she was fine.  _She wasn't_. It wasn't until night fell and Emma snuck into the forest, that she truly began to realize just  _how much_  Killian meant to her. She didn't go far, only far enough that they couldn't hear her. She could still hear them but that was because she had spent ten years on this island, growing accustomed to its noises and training her ears to tune into the sound of footsteps. She sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree and staring up at the sky. 

 

_They just had to find Leo._

 

_They could find Leo and go home._

 

_Then Emma wouldn't have to see Killian again._

 

That thought made her curl herself up, shivering slightly as a pang of heartache struck her. 

 

_She didn't want to never see him again._

 

_She wanted to see him every second of every day for the rest of her life._

 

Snow probably ruined that for her. All they did now was argue. Every time she reached for him subconsciously he shied away from her. 

 

_It was like a slap to the face each time._

  
  


Emma sighed, realizing she had been gone for hours and they would be waking up soon, so she stood and walked back to their tiny camp. She only hesitated briefly before she sat down near Killian, and closed her eyes to make it seem like she had slept. 

 

**oOoOo**

 

Emma was failing. 

 

She hadn't slept in four days and it was getting harder and harder for her to move. Her limbs tired and aching, her brain slow and her eyes heavy. Her feet felt like lead and she kept tripping over branches and things she normally would avoid. They stopped to take a break, but Emma knew it was because of her. 

 

_She was slowing them down._

 

_She knew it and she hated it._

  
  


She sat against a tree, her eyes immediately closing but sleep refusing to take its hold on her. 

 

"Emma, you need to sleep." Her mother. She ignored her. 

 

"She's right, Emma. You can't keep going like this." She shrugged her shoulders lightly, since she could barely move them. Exhaustion had settled in yesterday, and it was making itself at home. 

 

"Swan, have you slept at all?" She opened her eyes to glare at Killian, but she didn't know menacing a tired person could look. 

 

"What's it matter?" He glanced at Snow before he seemed to have an internal battle with himself. She closed her eyes again, this time holding back tears. It had been three days since she cried. She could feel it building just behind her eyelids. 

 

"Swan, you should get some rest." She opened her eyes again, this time she pushed herself up so she was standing. 

 

"I think I'll go collect firewood." She muttered, turning to walk away but he caught her wrist with his hook. Her mother gasped at that but she ignored it. 

 

She was  _tired._

 

Tired of  _fighting._

 

Tired of fighting  _the pain, the anger, him_. 

 

_Emma was tired._

 

"Let me go, Hook." He sighed. 

 

"Not until you tell me what's wrong.” 

 

_Those were the wrong words._

 

She spun around, her hand raised to slap him in the arm, or the face, she wasn't sure. But he caught her hand in his before she could. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. She froze for a moment, her eyes filling with tears at the sudden contact. 

 

_She was just so tired._

 

_Tired of him and his inconsistent feelings._

 

She gave herself a minute before she pulled away and he let her. The tears were already slowly trailing down her face. 

 

"You don't get to do that." He frowned slightly. "You don't get to pull away from me for four days and then suddenly think that you can do that. You can't." She crossed her arms over her chest, head turned to the side so she didn't have to look at him. 

 

"Swan I-" She curled her hands. 

 

" _Stop calling me that!_ " She yelled, meeting his eyes for the first time in days. They were empty, like when they first met. "I'm not  _Swan_! I'm  _Emma_. I'm  _love_. I'm  _darling, sweetheart, princess_ , and all the other  _ridiculous_  things you call me! But I'm not  _Swan_. I haven't been Swan for a while. At least not without other names mixed in. What the  _hell_  Killian?” 

 

_She couldn't stop herself now._

 

_She had bottled this up and now it was setting itself free._

 

"I-" she didn't let him continue. 

 

"No, you get to listen. Just shut up and let me talk!" He did. She didn't know if he could tell that she needed to get it all out, or if he was listening to her request, but she didn't care. "Look, I don't give a shit about whatever the hell kind of  _garbage_  my mother threw at you. I could care less. The only thing that I do give a shit about, is  _you_. Apparently." She saw her parents give each other a look and her mother looked thoroughly pissed off. 

 

_That was nothing new._

 

"I never wanted to be on this bullshit island ever again, I know you didn't either.  _But here we are_. Since we came here, my nightmares are back. But where the hell were you? Do you even  _care_  anymore, Killian? Because I could've sworn last week we were perfectly fine. We were  _happy_. And now look at us. So  _what the hell,_  Killian?" Now he could speak. 

 

"Of  _course_  I care, Emma." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

 

"Then where have you been you idiot? While I've been over here, alone and scared and realizing that I-" She blushed. 

 

"I'm sorry, love. I should never have listened to what I had heard. I should have been here for you, Emma. I formally apologize." She rolled her eyes, feeling dizzy as she did so. 

 

“You don’t get to  _apologize_! You can’t just  _apologize_  and hope that everything will be okay!  _I hate you_!” She didn’t mean that but she was mad at him. 

 

"You do?” She dropped her arms from across her chest. 

 

“I… _I don’t know_! I hate you for making me care so much! I hate you for making me feel less alone! I hate you for making me  _love you_!” She froze, throwing her hands over her mouth. 

 

“Emma,” She shook her head, her eyes wide and fearful. 

 

“ _No, I_ …I don’t know. I _just_ …” He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him again, this time not allowing her to pull away. 

 

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Emma.” Her father pulled her mother away from them, giving them a slight amount of privacy. For which, Emma was very grateful. She smiled but didn't get a chance to say anything because he pulled her to him and crashed his lips onto hers. 

 

_Sealing them together in a searing kiss._

 

_One that left her breathless._

 

_One that left her clinging onto the lapels of his coat._

 

_One that left her knees weak and her heart racing._

 

_Her entire being wanting more._

  
  


She felt something, something that seemed...magical, just beneath the surface.  _Wait a second_....nah. Can't be. There’s  _no way_  that could be it. 

 

"I love you, Emma.” She couldn’t fight the smile that split out over her face, finally giving up the fight as her exhaustion came crashing down on her. She could talk to him about this tomorrow.

 

_Or never._

 

Right now all she cared about was that he  _loved_  her, he  _actually_  loved her. She wasn’t imagining it, she wasn’t  _alone_ , and he  _loved_  her. 

 

"Can we just stay here for the night? I don't think you will get me moving for another few hours." She muttered, her eyelids dropping. He chuckled at her, whispering something about having her moving for a lot longer than a few hours, but she didn't connect the words. He called to her parents, told them they must pause and let Emma rest, and then pulled her down to the ground with him and into his lap. 

 

Within seconds her eyes closed and she fell into a much needed sleep.

 

The last thing she heard was Killian muttering more apologies in her ear. 

 

oOoOo

 

Snow White had spent the majority of the day glaring at the pair of them. It wasn't until her father took Killian with him to find fresh water that she discovered why. Emma would have gone with them, but her father insisted that she stay with her mother, and she was still pretty tired anyways so she didn't resist. 

 

"Is something the matter,  _Snow_?" She asked, sitting on the cold, hard, ground and leaning against a tree. It was her second favourite, compared to sitting by the ocean that is. 

 

"Yes there is, Emma." She frowned slightly, lifting her head to stare at her mother. 

 

"What is it?" Her mother turned to look at her, a somewhat sad expression flitting across her face. 

 

"Well, you just declared your love for a man to whom you are not betrothed."  _Seriously_!? After all that she still didn't get it!?  _Emma had half a mind to tell her mother to fu-_  "Not to mention we are here to find your brother, not have you shack up with a pirate." She raised an eyebrow at her mother. A skill she had picked up on over the years. 

 

"Need I remind  _you_ , mo _ther._  Neal was the one who got Leo into this whole mess. Let's not forget that shall we. As for the other thing you mentioned, that is  _none of your business._ " Her tone was as collected she could make it, considering she was running on almost zero patience these days. 

 

"Emma, I'm sure Neal didn't have anything to do with this." Emma snorted. 

 

"Alright, lll just pretend the several people who saw him, don't exist. Listen, Snow. If you love him so much, why don't you marry him?" Snow rolled her eyes. 

 

"Don't be  _ridiculous_ , Emma. I'm just trying to do what's best for you." She stood up. 

 

" _What's best for me?_ " She raised an eyebrow, adjusting the leather belt on her waist. "I'm afraid you don't seem to know the definition of those words,  _mother_." Snow stood as well, both of them mirroring the others angry stance. Arms over their chests, glares marring their faces and almost all of their words laced with poison. 

 

" _Emma_." Her mother began and Emma glared at her. 

 

" _Snow_." It seems they have reached an impasse. "You know I am right, mother. It was Neal. You know that." Snow stared at her for a moment. 

 

"Well..I.." Emma sighed. 

 

" _Ugh._  Just do whatever you want, Snow.  _Believe_  who you want, _talk_  about who you want,  _do_  what you want. Just leave me and Killian  _out of it_." Snow dropped her arms. 

 

"Just try and keep it  _professional_  please. We still have a brother of yours to find." Emma narrowed her eyes at her mothers tone. 

 

"Are you implying that I forgot about him?" She rolled her eyes. 

 

" _Of course not_. I'm just reminding you that we came here for a reason. A reason that has nothing to do with you or that  _pirate_." She sighed. 

 

"You're right, it doesn't. So stop bringing it up and we should be perfectly fine." Snow rolled her eyes. 

 

"Emma, you brought the pirate along. We will talk about this as much as I see fit, because I feel as if you are making a mistake."

 

Emma was done.

 

Her patience snapped.

 

Her eyes flared but her voice was cold as ice. 

 

"The only mistake I made,  _was returning to you_." She spun on her heel before her words could sink in and stormed off into the forest. There was no way in hell she was going to be forgiven for that one, and she found herself not caring all that much. 

 

_The only thing?_

 

She didn't want to say those words directly to her mother. Maybe to herself, or to Killian. But she never wanted her mother to hear the words directly from her mouth.

 

_**Not ever.** _

 

 _ **Too late now.**_  


	4. Echo, Echo, Echo.

_Emma was fidgeting._

 

She was watching the fire, her head resting on Killian's shoulder but every noise, every creak, every single sound, caused her to jump. She'd been on the edge since Killian had said they had to go through the Echo Caves. 

 

_That was not going to be fun._

 

_Not one bit._

 

Her mother hadn’t spoken a word to her since their fight two days previously. Emma didn't mind that. What she  _did_  mind was that her mother kept glaring at her every so often. The only good thing, was that Emma could feel something. They were close to her brother. He was probably on the other side of the caves. It wasn't the fact that they had to go through the caves that was a problem, it wasn't that they all had to go through together, it was that they had to confess a secret in order to build the bridge across. 

 

_That's how the caves work._

 

She knew what her secret was, she just didn't want to have to say it, and she _most definitely_  did  _not_  want to know what her mothers darkest secret was. 

 

_She had a feeling it might not be so pleasant._

 

"Emma, love." Her eyes flew open, unaware that they had closed. 

 

"Huh? Sorry." She blushed slightly, sitting up and he smiled at her as he linked his hand with hers. Her father was asleep, but her mother was still awake. She was trying not to show that she was watching them, but Emma knew. 

 

"Killian," She began, turning her gaze back to the fire. "What if we don't find him?" He sighed, shifting closer to her slightly. 

 

"You can't think like that, love. You will find him. You will save your brother. You can get your family back together." She met his gaze. 

 

"Are you sure?" She muttered in a low voice, and he offered her a soft smile. 

 

"Love, I wouldn't lie to you. You will find him." She nodded, staring into his honest eyes.

 

_She knew he was telling the truth._

 

_He always did with her._

 

She wanted to kiss him, but didn't know if she should. His tongue darted out to lick his lips and she knew he was thinking the same thing. 

 

"Oh screw it.  _Why the hell not_." Before he could ask what prompted her to say that, she grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and pulled him to her, crashing her mouth onto his. She melted into him almost instantly. 

 

_It was pure passion._

 

Emma attempted to pour all her love and frustration into it, and Killian was more than happy to receive it. She felt his own love pushing through, and a few moments later there wasn't any frustration, just love. 

 

** Endless love.  **

 

When the need for oxygen became too great, they separated. Emma's hands still clasped tightly around Killian's coat as he rested his forehead against hers. 

 

"Emma," She smiled, bumping her nose against his and waiting for him to claim her lips with his. 

 

" _Killian._ " She replied, her voice a whisper against his lips as he brushed his lips against hers. 

 

"You need to sleep, love." She pouted when he pulled away, totally ignoring her mothers judgmental gaze. She almost forgot that it wasn't just Killian and herself on the island again. 

 

"Killian, you know I don't sleep. Especially not on this horrid island. Not after everything that happened." He sighed, pulling her to his side. 

 

"Emma, you can't blame yourself for that." She shrugged. 

 

"I shouldn't have been so easy to trust them. I won't make that mistake again." He frowned. 

 

"Love, you can't keep pushing people away because you're afraid. Not everyone will hurt you." She glanced at her mother briefly before replying. 

 

"Everyone already has." He opened her mouth to say something but she pointed at the sky. "Tell me about the stars, Killian." He sighed but nodded, speaking in soft tones with a voice the eventually lulled her to sleep. 

 

** oOoOo **

 

_She was delaying their departure on purpose._

 

_Her movements painstakingly slow._

 

Killian caught on and made her hurry up, but her parents had no idea. She really did not want to have to go through the caves. 

 

** Not one bit.  **

 

"Emma, hurry up love." Killian muttered, extending his hand to her. She sighed loudly but slipped her hand into his, locking their fingers together as they entered the cave.

 

It was silent, and the tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife, but Emma was too nervous to care. She was hoping on the  _very_  slim chance that they might not have to confess anything to get across, but of course that was never an available option when she needed it to be. 

 

"What do we do now? There's no way across." David pointed out and Emma resisted rolling her eyes. 

 

"There never is." She replied offhandedly, ignoring the stares from her parents. 

 

"Then why did you-" She cut him off. 

 

"These caves work differently. In order for the bridge to be built to go across...we have to share our secrets." She mumbled that last part in defeat. "Not just any secret either, our deepest secret.” 

 

_Silence._

 

"So, who wants to go first?" She just wanted to get this over with. She glanced at Killian who sighed.

 

"I'll go first then, love." She smiled slightly and he glanced momentarily at her parents before turning his attention solely on her. She froze, his expression that of a wounded puppy. "When I first met you, I thought you were impossible. A stubborn, angry, lass with nothing to do with my adventure on this island. I was wrong." Emma frowned. 

 

"How is that your biggest secret?" He shook his head slightly. 

 

"It's only the beginning. When I found out you were a princess, I didn't think we would ever be. I knew it was impossible, but yet I tried to be a better man. I tried to be a better man for you, Swan. I  _failed_ , and you have every right to be angry with me for that. But I had to do what would be best for your future, for you, and I am truly sorry that I allowed space to grow between us because of that." Her frown deepened and she forgot her parents were there. The ground shook but she didn't take her eyes off of Killian. 

 

"You didn't  _fail_ , Killian. You don't have to be anyone but yourself. You didn’t let space grow between us, it was  _just_  a fight. It’s in the past now.” He smiled briefly and she took a calming breath. “Alright. Guess I’m up.” She could feel everyone’s eyes on her and she hesitated. She could feel her feet itching to run, the panic building in her chest, but she swallowed it down. 

 

“Go on then, love.” She nodded, glancing at her parents before focusing entirely on her hands.

 

“My secret is…my biggest mistake was returning to the Castle. Returning home. Returning to you both.” She paused, hesitating but knowing she had to continue if she wanted to rescue her brother. 

 

“Thats not exactly a secret, Emma. You told me that already.” Her mother had a bitter tone to voice and Emma’s lip trembled. 

 

“Emma, whatever it is you can tell us.” Theres her father, the mediator like  _always_. She raised her head to meet their eyes, feeling the tears just below the surface. 

 

_The dam could break at any moment, but she had to say it._

 

“If I didn’t return home, you all could have lived a happy life with Leo. You’re better off without me,  _happier_  without me.” She glanced at her mother. “Besides, being back on this island…it made me realize something. Something I should’ve wondered about a while ago.” She clenched her fists to keep herself from panicking. “You  _never_  came looking for me.” She could feel Killian’s eyes on her face, but she ignored him. 

 

“Emma-” She shook her head, cutting her parents off. 

 

“No, you will go to the ends of the earth to rescue Leo. But I’m not good enough for that. I’ve always felt like you were better off without me, now I know for sure.  _Thats_  my secret. I  _know_  you love him more, and you don’t even try to hide it. It makes me feel like I belong here, like I really am a Lost Girl.” She dropped her gaze to the ground as more of the bridge came into place. 

 

"Emma, we don't-" She held up her hands, forcing her voice to stay level. 

 

"Don't. Just.... _ **don't**_. It's your turn David." Killian reached out for her but then thought better of it. He knew enough about her to realize she needed some space. 

 

"Alright....if you insist." Emma crossed her arms over her chest, feeling extremely vulnerable still. "I was relieved when you returned to us, Emma. I didn't care that you weren't the  _same_ , that you brought a  _pirate_  with you, that you were a pirate, because it just meant I got to see you again. Then I  _watched_  you, I  _saw_  you, I  _heard_  you. I realized you weren't happy in the castle, you weren't happy anywhere, except with Hook. So my secret is, Emma, as long as your happy, I want you to be wherever you want to be. Even if it means leaving us and the castle behind." They all stared at him. 

 

_But the ground didn't shake just yet._

 

"There's more." Emma muttered and he nodded. 

 

"The second part to that secret is, I  _don't_  want you to be with a pirate. You could have a better life, you could be a  _princess_  like you were born to be, and live in a castle. I'm sorry for not trusting you and not wanting you to make your own choices." The ground shook and more of the bridge appeared. 

 

"Snow, your turn.” Emma turned her eyes to the ground. She considered tuning her mother out completely, but knew that would be a mistake. 

 

“Emma, I just want you to know, that I never meant for you to hear any of this.” Emma’s head flew up, gaze locking on her mothers. 

 

_From the look on her father and Killian’s face, she looked hurt already_. 

 

“My secret is…that I’m ashamed of the person you became.” Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes and she crossed her arms tighter over her chest, trying to hold herself inside. She could feel anger radiating out of both David and Killian, but they said nothing. 

 

“W.. _why_?” She found herself asking, unaware of the words tumbling out of her mouth until it was too late. 

 

“I taught you better, all those years, all those hours of you growing up, I taught you better than to  _swear_ , dress like a  _man_ , hang around  _pirates_ …. ** _BE_**  a pirate. I taught you  _better._ ” 

 

_Emma’s lip trembled and she bit it to hold it still._

 

“You used to remind me of myself when I was younger, but I can’t see it anymore.  _I don’t know you. I don’t know who you are._  I can’t be your mother any longer. I tried pushing you towards a man who would make you happy, but your stubbornness refused to let me. I no longer feel that bond with you that I used too, and I am ashamed. All I really want is to go back, to be who we were before. I want  _you_  to be who you were before, which is why I’ve been how I have lately. I’m sorry Emma, but thats my secret.” The ground shook, and the bridge was nearly built…but Emma had another secret, one she apparently had to share. 

 

“Things will never go back to how they were, Snow. Not now. Not after everything I’ve been through, everything you’ve put me through…everything I’ve seen.” 

 

_She stared her mother right in the eyes._

 

“There is no  _old me_ , or  _new me_ , there is just  _Emma_. And if you can’t accept that, than I am sorry. But this is who I am, and you can either treat me like I’m actually your daughter and not just someone who was around in the castle, or you can never see me again. This is your new choice, and you have until we get off this island to make it. Because, since we’re being honest here, I will never be the same as I was before, and I don’t want to be. I never wanted to be the princess, I never wanted to be one to get married and never go on an adventure again.  _I just want to be me._  Thats who I am now, Killian showed me how, and I will not ever get rid of that, Snow.” 

 

_The bridge was built and without another word Emma turned on her heel and headed across._

  
  


** oOoOo **

 

She squinted at the light when she finally made her way out of the cave. Her eyes adjusting slowly, and she took a breath. Something felt off, but she knew it was just because of everything she just heard. 

 

_Her own mother was ashamed of her, ashamed of who she became._

 

She ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip, turning around to wait for everyone else to come our of the cave. If she was being honest with herself, she would’ve ran away right then and there, and she almost did, but Killian wasn’t out yet and that stopped her. She didn’t want to run from him anymore, she wanted to stop running from him, stop hiding. 

 

_He was clearly the only one who accepted her._

 

_Who **loved**  her for her. _

 

She could see her father possibly coming around, changing his mind…but her mother seemed firmly set in her ways. Emma ran another hand through her hair just as everyone began to come into view. 

 

_Thats when she felt it._

 

_Five seconds too late._

 

_A cold metal pressed tightly against her throat._

 

_A heavy presence behind her._

  
  


She could feel he was rather tall and she immediately knew who it was. Killian and her parents stepped out of the cave just then, a look of pure terror on her face. 

 

“My  _my_ , little girly Swan…who do we have here?” She didn’t say anything, her entire body frozen in fear. “Answer me,  _bitch_.” She winced as he dug the knife into her skin. 

 

“You know the Captain, and those are our guests.” She muttered and he chuckled, the sound low and able to send shivers down her spine. 

 

“ _Details,_  little girly Swan.” He twisted the knife slightly and she cried out slightly. Killian twitched, she could see he wanted to help her, but couldn’t figure out a way to do it without letting the knife cut her in the process. 

 

“Aren’t you a little too  _busy_  for details, _Felix_?” His mouth was beside her ear when he spoke, his voice feral and guttural. 

 

“I always have time for  _you_ , Emma.” He twisted the knife. “The fun has only  _just_  begun."


	5. Good Bye

She thought of a million ways to get out of her current position. She could call for Peter Pan if she wanted too. 

_Make that a million and one._

 

But none of them had great results, in fact, most of them resulted in herself or someone else dying or getting injured. She shouldn’t have let Felix sneak up on her, she should have noticed, she should have done something. Once again she had put all their lives in danger. 

_They really were better off without her._

“Whats the matter girly Swan? Are you _scared_?” Just like that. Those three words that she heard many times from his mouth, his and Peter’s that is.

_Those three words had their warranted effect._

She masked her face into one that was flat of any emotion. 

“Don’t you remember what happens when you’re afraid, Emma?” He taunted and she waited, sure enough he wrapped one arm around her neck and slid the knife down her arm. 

“ _Emma!_ ” Her mother cried, surprisingly enough, as she winced but showed no other signs of pain. 

“Tell them what happens, Swan, if they interfere.” She glared at Felix but he tightened his arm around her neck and she quickly nodded. 

“Interfere and this knife will be painted with blood.” She muttered, repeating word for word the sentence Felix and Peter drilled into them all. 

"I see your memory has yet to be tainted. Now," He handed her a rope. "Tie them up over there." Emma raised an eyebrow. 

"Like  _hell_  I will!” He sighed impatiently. 

"Tie them up, or little Leo dies. No funny business either." Emma searched his eyes for some sort of a lie, but found none. She nodded slowly and headed over to tie them up. 

"Emma, what are you doing?" She met her mothers worried gaze and smiled slightly. 

"He’s going to kill me." She replied, and her parents eyes widened.

"Emma, love. He wouldn’t!" She nodded, pressing a light kiss to Killian’s lips. 

"I love you, Killian Jones." She moved to tie up her parents. 

"I love you too, Emma Swan." Emma Swan. She liked the sound of that. 

"You better, pirate. Or I  _might_  have to hurt you.” He chuckled lightly but she could see the worry deep on his face. 

"Emma, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about everything. I was just so worried about you leaving again that I ended up pushing you away." She didn’t expect to hear that, especially not now. 

"Hurry up, Swan!" Her mother smiled at her slightly. 

"I know we can’t fix this, we can’t go back to the way we were…but I’m sorry I said what I did." Emma searched her mothers eyes for some lie. 

"You’re just saying that because we’re in a dangerous situation." She mumbled, but found no lie in her mothers eyes. She didn’t say anything further, afraid they didn’t have the time for this. She finished tying up her father and Felix grabbed her by the arm. Pulling her back towards him, he threw her against the tree on the other side of the mini clearing. She winced slightly, but it wasn’t anything too horrible. 

"Now you’re going to pay, bitch." She frowned slightly, that was the second time he called her that today. He would never call her that before…well, cutting his face open and escaping the island probably pissed him off. 

"Bring it on, Fee." She replied, leveling her gaze to his. "Just like old times." He snarled, a low, feral sound, and she nearly flinched. 

_Nearly._

"Well, except in the past I was outnumbered and it was unfair. You wouldn’t do that again, would you Fee?" Quick as a flash he struck the knife out, slicing her collarbone. She gasped in pain but did nothing to defend herself. 

"Stop calling me that." She shook her head. 

"Fee, you can’t tell me what to do. I don’t like it when you tell me what to do." He smirked at her. 

"Is that so, little girly Swan?" He danced the blade across her stomach and she barely even blinked. She glanced over his shoulder to look at the others. Killian had a look of both anger and worry, Snow looked upset in general, and David was trying not to look. The three of them knew Emma could fight back. 

_But she didn’t._

_Not yet, at least._

_She knew that is she fought back, she would seal little Leo’s fate._

"Oh come off it, Fee. You want to fight me? You can’t. Besides, you only brought one knife to a fight. That’s not very fair." His reply was to hold her to the tree with his arm over her neck, cutting into her windpipe as he pressed the knife to her cheek. 

"Would you like to match, little girly Swan?" She met his eyes. Fixing her steel gaze on his. She knew how to get out of this position. Bring the knees to the stomach, elbow to the face, than a kick in the chest. 

**Simple.**

Now if only she could avoid getting cut in the process. However, that would be a small price to pay if it meant getting safely out of this situation. 

"Are you quite done trying to figure out how to get away?” She met his eyes, a slight frown briefly crossing her face. 

“I don-” He cut her off, sliding the knife to her neck again. 

“Now, how about we play a game?”

**oOoOo**

“Emma? Love, open your eyes.” She knew that voice. But her eyes were too heavy. “Come on, Princess.” 

_That pissed her off._

“ _Not_  a princess.” She mumbled quietly, forcing her eyes open. She frowned when she realized she was tied up beside Killian. “How long was I out?” She asked and her parents said nothing. “Killian?” He sighed. 

"I’m not sure, love. A few hours." She nodded. 

"Where did Fee go?" She wondered, glancing around the tiny clearing. The only light from a few torches Felix had obviously set up. 

"He wandered off for reinforcements a few minutes ago." She nodded. 

"Alright, time to get moving." She muttered. 

"Um, in case you haven’t noticed Emma, we’re tied to a tree." If it didn’t make her dizzy, she would be rolled her eyes at her father. 

"Besides, he said he would kill Leopold." Emma sighed. 

"Snow, listen to me. If we stay here, we are all going to die. If we get out, we can save Leo and ourselves." A moment of silent deliberation. 

"Alright, fine. But how do we get out of these ropes?" Her mother asked and Emma sighed pointedly. 

"Time me?" She asked Killian who rolled his eyes but nodded. "And no cheating. Time it perfectly this time alright?" He grinned at her and it sent a shiver up her spine. 

**No.**

_Focus Emma._

"As you wish.” 

**Dammit.**

_There goes her focus._

_Judging by the smirk on his face, he knew damn well he was causing her problems._

"Well, well, well. If it isn’t little girly Swan and her true love." She froze, her eyes widening at the voice. "Come back to see me, have you? I told you, you’d be back." Peter Pan raised that skillfully talented eyebrow of his. "Well go on, see if you can escape the ropes then.” She shook her head. “What?” His voice lost its teasing tone and she met his eyes. 

“I won’t do anything you say.” Her voice was suspiciously calm, because he was definitely not one you could simply defy. “You’re just a child. I don’t have to listen to your bullshit.” He chuckled lightly, stepping closer to her. 

“I know you’re out of the ropes already, Swan. Stand up.” She sighed but the look on his face compelled her to stand. 

“Wait, Emma?!” Her mother hissed, slight panic through her voice. She smiled slightly, turning to face them. 

“Its alright. Its just a reunion that was a long time coming.” Killian frowned but she met his eyes and they had a silent conversation. He nodded slowly and she turned to face Peter. “Alright, Pan. You’ve got me. So talk.” He raised his eyebrow at her. 

"Oh we’re going to talk, Swan." She narrowed her eyes slightly at his tone, but didn’t say anything. "Like all our previous chats." She rolled her eyes. 

"I know what you’re doing." She replied, crossing her sore arms across her chest. If she didn’t focus on it she didn’t feel it, but when she was paying attention her whole body ached. The fresh cuts stinging with each movement she made. 

"Oh?" He questioned. 

"Yeah. You’re stalling while they move Leo further into the forest. We got too close and you’re having too much fun with this game of yours, so you’re having Felix move him." He stared at her for a second before smiling. 

"I always said you were the smart one. You won’t get your brother back, Swan, Peter Pan never fails." She rolled her eyes.

"Well that’s not going to stop me from trying. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s being stubborn." She whipped out her knife and had him pinned to the tree within seconds. "Tell me where my brother is you little shit." He was momentarily surprised before his smug expression returned. 

"But that would take all the fun out of it." He leaned forwards, whispering something in her ear that had her lower the knife. Then he shoved her back and disappeared into the forest.  

_Far too quickly for them to see which direction he went._

**oOoOo**

_Emma was distant._

Whatever Pan had whispered so carefully in her ear, she kept everyone at arms length. Even Killian, whom she had been quite attached to as of late, was pushed away slightly. She stopped sleeping again, and nearly collapsed onto a fallen tree when they stopped for the night. 

"Emma, may I?" Her mother gestured to the empty space next to her and she nodded slowly in response. 

It was a rare moment that they were alone, it hadn’t happened during the two days that had gone by since their visit from Felix and Peter. Killian and her father had gone to collect firewood, leaving her mother and herself alone. Emma checked the bandage on her arm, realizing she needed to change it, so she quickly set to work on it. A few seconds later it was finished. 

"So, Snow…what did you want to talk about?" She asked, checking her other bandages for infection but they all seemed fine. 

"About before…" Emma froze momentarily but quickly composed herself. "I really am truly sorry for what I said. It was cruel, and I was just angry, and I know we can’t ever fix it and you probably don’t want to fix it, but if you ever need me. I’m here." She nodded. 

"Maybe not yet, but soon." She muttered, pushing all her remaining energy into standing up. "I don’t blame you, Mom. You told me the truth, that’s more than I could’ve ever asked for." Snow smiled slightly. 

“And you, are you alright, Emma? That was a horrible thing to have to go through.” Emma shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain. 

"It’s not bad, I’ll be fine. I’ve had a lot worse." Snow hesitated, her whole face turning sad. 

"Emma…is this what it was like the entire time?" She shook her head, a soft smile lighting up her face. 

"It started out like happy, then I heard the music and everything turned to shit. It was three years of torture…until I escaped. I got away. They couldn’t hurt me anymore. I found my cave at the far end of the island, I learnt how to survive. Killian had already been here for several years, but to all of us he was just an old wives tale." She paused. 

_Shortening the tale._

"Years passed, I fell into a routine. Sure I was alone but I was safe. The world was dark and grey anyways, there wasn’t much to hope for. I had given up on hope." Snow was listening intently and Emma could tell she was actually listening this time. "Then the light walked into my life. Splashing colour with his lilted words and innuendos and his failed attempts to kill me or use me to get to Him." She grinned. "I bested him. I bested a billion year old pirate in five seconds, and that’s before he taught me how to sword fight. But the truth is, the annoyance I had somehow gained, was the only reason I had gotten off this island. The only reason I am truly happy." She blushed slightly but yawned despite her refusal to sleep. 

"Emma…" She shook her head. 

"No, I’m not sleeping, Mom." Snow sighed and Emma didn’t wait for her to speak. "I’m going to go sit over there, if you need me come and get me. Until then, you should sleep." Snow shook her head. 

"Your father isn’t back yet." She was worried, that much was obvious. 

"Don’t worry, he’s with Killian. They’ll be  _fine_.” Snow nodded and Emma made her way to the cliffs edge, going to sit down when suddenly a hand clapped over her mouth. 

"Shhh, it’s alright. Everything is going to be alright, Swan." She felt her heart rate quicken as fear pooled in her stomach. "Good bye." A shove and she was falling, her hands gripping for purchase against the rocky cliff. Her mother and father shouted in unison, right as Killian yelled out for her too. 

_The last thing she heard before her fingers slipped, was Killian yelling her name._

_Panic clear in his voice._

_Then her fingers let go of the cliff and she was falling._


End file.
